Review of World Politics
By Shashi P.B.B. Malla
Nepal: Genuine vs Fake Democracy
On Falgun 7, 2077 of the Bikram Sambat era [February 19, 2021] we celebrate Nepal’s National Democracy Day [or Rashtriya Prajatantra Diwas]. This was to commemorate Nepal’s transition to democracy after the autocratic Rana regime was abolished in the aftermath of the successful people’s revolution led by none other than King Tribhuvan and aided by the Nepali Congress.
It was on Falgun 7 [February 18, 1951] that King Tribhuvan issued his historic proclamation establishing an interim government and outlining the significant features of the new political system. It marked the end of the old and the beginning of a new political era in Nepal [see: Bhuwan Lal Joshi & Leo E. Rose: Democratic Innovations in Nepal. A Case Study of Political Acculturation, 1966/2004, p. 83].
In the annals of world history, there are few instances of monarchs leading a people’s revolution against an elite, aristocratic and despotic regime. Thus, Tribhuvan is revered as the ‘people’s king.’ The National Democracy Day, therefore, also refers King Tribhuwan who ushered in Nepal’s modern era. It is fitting and proper that the country’s only international airport and the first university were named after him.
The Nepali Congress, unfortunately, has lost its historical vision. Without its original alliance with King Tribhuvan, it would not have been able to establish its roots in the Nepalese populace. Its strength lay in the twin pillars of constitutional monarchy and genuine people’s democracy – prajatantra. The three major leaders of the Nepali Congress of the Revolution of 1950-51, – Bisheshwar Prasad Koirala, General Subarna Shumsher and Ganesh Man Singh – would be shaking their heads today at the pathetic state of the party! Its leaders play second fiddle to the oppressive, repressive so-called Communist leaders with tendencies towards tyranny.
The Nepali Congress has allied itself with the champions of self-styled loktantra since 2006, which, in fact, is ‘fake democracy’ dictated by the Indian establishment and, therefore, foreign to the core. How can we designate the die-hard supporters and their honchos? Are they not utter regressive adherents of fraud and hoax? Can we even trust such imposters and traitors?
In the latest twist of Nepalese politics, current PM K.P. Sharma Oli in a desperate bid to cling on to power [he is being hounded by his former comrades], has highlighted the “major’ [and glorious] achievements” of his government [or ‘reign’] which was until recently that of the entire great Nepali Communist Party (NCP):
– the implementation of the constitution and federalism
– putting in place the necessary political and legal arrangements and preparation of institutional and physical infrastructure for the above
– the “encouraging” overall economic situation
– the “rapid” progress made in education, health and social security sectors (My Republica, Feb. 16).
Any normal person will realize that Oli ‘uncle’ is taking us for a ride.
Myanmar: The Military vs. the People
Myanmar’s putsch leader, Senior General and chief of the armed forces Min Aung Hliang utilized the country’s national Union Day last Friday to call upon the people to stop their ongoing protests and work with the national security forces [or Tatmadaw] if they want democracy. This was, of course, met with derision by the protesters who are resolutely pushing for the release of their country’s elected leaders, i.e. a return to the status quo ante before February 1.
Gen. Hliang had the audacity to demand: “I would seriously urge the entire nation to join hands with the Tatmadaw for the successful realization of democracy. Historical lessons have taught us that only national unity can ensure the non-disintegration of the Union and the perpetuation of sovereignty”(AP/Associated Press, Feb.12).
The military junta seems to be getting nervous about the fact that the whole country is slowly but certainly aligning itself against the powerful bastion of purported Burmese Buddhist-Nationalism. The collective memory is definitely something different from that of the military.
As a further total eyewash, the military also announced it would mark Union Day by releasing thousands of prisoners and reducing other inmates’ sentences. The protesters are unlikely to be swayed by this insincere call for unity. It will also not sway the international community which has widely condemned the coup as well as the use of police brutality such as water cannons and rubber bullets [in one instance even live ammunition] to disperse the protests.
The international human rights group Amnesty International (AI) called the junta’s release of prisoners “a sideshow designed to distract from the military authorities’ daily trampling of human rights.”
Armored vehicles on the streets of major Myanmar cities, an internet blackout and night-time raids on prominent critics on Sunday, did not stop protesters from taking to the streets for a tenth consecutive day.
Over the weekend, the military continued to escalate its crackdown on dissent, with security forces in the country’s northern Kachin state firing on protesters at a power plant.
The military junta is coming under increasing international pressure. A joint statement by the U.S., Canada and the European Union said: “We call on security forces to refrain from violence against demonstrators and civilians, who are protesting the overthrow of their legitimate government” (CNN, Feb. 15).
UN Special Envoy Christine Shraner Burgener spoke on Monday to the deputy head of the junta, Soe Win in what has become a rare channel of direct communication between Myanmar’s army and the outside world: “the right of peaceful assembly must fully be respected and those demonstrators are not subjected to reprisal.” UN HQ warned gravely: the world is watching closely, and any form of heavy-handed response is likely to have serious consequences” (My Republica/Reuters, Feb. 16).
The power-hungry and utterly corrupt generals are already isolated internationally. Full-throated support has come only from China and Russia. Domestically, it is a battle of wills. At present, it is not yet clear how ironclad is the junta’s hold over its own military and the disparate regions. Some police units have already gone over to the nascent protest movement. It could well be that this time around, the generals have bitten off more than they can chew!
India’s Farmer Protests: Democracy at the Crossroads
Many analysts are of the opinion that the farmers protests in India are a turning point for its functioning of democracy and that the world can no longer ignore this dire development.
The South Asian expert, SimranJeet Singh writes that for decades, the world has ignored India’s deplorable human rights record, because it is perceived as a strategic ally of the political West. The United States and the international community sees India as an important counterweight to the rising super-power China (TIME, Feb. 11).
The full force and authoritarian tactics of the Narendra Modi Hindu-Nationalist government have been exhibited in their response to the largest protests after independence. Since September last year, tens of thousands of Indian farmers and their supporters have gathered around the national capital New Delhi to protest three new agricultural laws that aim to deregulate India’s agriculture sector and open it up to free-market forces. The new legislation benefits large corporations and harms the ordinary farmer.
Since this month, the Indian government’s draconian measures, including press censorship, journalists’ detention, internet shutdowns and violent crackdowns against non-violent protesters have become manifest.
Cognizant of the many Indian-Americans with families and friends who are either participating in the protest or are supporting it, the US embassy in New Delhi stated: “the internet is fundamental to the freedom of expression and a hallmark of free speech.” It also urged the government and the farmer unions to keep talking to resolve the issue (CNN, Feb. 15).
Modi’s right-wing government has responded to the farmer’s protests by outright lying about and defaming its own citizens. Its senior leaders have called the protesters “anti-nationals” and “goons”.
Even international commentators have not been spared. When global icons Rihanna and Greta Thunberg called for more international scrutiny on Indian authoritarian tactics being used against the protesters, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) brushed off their tweets as “neither accurate nor responsible.”
India today is trending towards being an authoritarian nation and cannot be an ally of a constitutional republic like America in the same way as an open democratic society. With more than 1.3 billion people in India [together with China, the two most populous nations and the fastest growing trillion-dollar economies in the world], that is censoring and restricting basic freedoms for a full one-sixth of mankind.
Yemen: Hope Springs Eternal
Egypt’s strongman, Hosni Mubarak was ousted on February 11, 2011, just as Yemen’s nascent revolution was getting underway.
Back then, Yemen’s own dictator Ali Abdullah Saleh had been in power since 1978 – until 1990 as president of the [northern] Yemen Arab Republic, and from then on as president of a united Yemen.
Unfortunately, Yemen’s Arab Spring uprisings led ultimately to a raging civil war that has inflicted immense suffering on the population for the past seven years (DW/Deutsche Welle, Feb. 12, 2021).
The revolution began as a peaceful quest for change, with singing and dancing in Tahrir Square in Yemen’s capital Sanaa. This led to Saleh’s resignation on February 25, 2012 and finally transformed into the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.
Currently, about 80 percent of the nearly 30 million people in Yemen now require some form of humanitarian assistance, 20 million people are facing food insecurity and more than 100,000 people have been killed, according to the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).
The downward spiral of the last 10 years, almost seven of which comprised the civil war, began with the abject political failure of Saleh’s successor, Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi, who had no solution for corruption, unemployment and food insecurity—just like the former president (DW).
The Houthi movement emerged from the Shiite minority in the north of the country and was supported by Iran, the leading, regional Shiite power. The Houthis were supported by disillusioned Yemenis (even including Sunnis) when they conquered Sana’a in late 2014.
Hadi fled the country and led a government-in-exile in Riyadh. Eight Sunni Arab states in the region, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE entered the conflict, which turned into a raging civil war. The Sunnis’ aim, which was supported by the US, UK and France was to defeat the Houthis, restore Hadi’s government to power and terminate Iran’s influence in Yemen. Saudi Arabia, above all, had a vital interest in securing its southern border with Yemen against its arch-enemy Iran.
The U.S. which previously had supported Saudi Arabia announced a significant turnaround under the Biden administration. It wanted the war to end and was stopping all American support for offensive operations in Yemen.
Political analysts, including Farea Al-Muslimi (associate fellow at Chatham House) believe, however, that the appointment of US diplomat and Middle East expert Timothy Lenderking as US special envoy to Yemen, is an even more significant step towards peace. Sama’a Al-Hamdani is convinced his “assignment is to moderate and engage all parties of the conflict and trying to reach a ceasefire settlement is even more encouraging”(DW).
The writer can be reached at shashipbmalla@hotmail.com
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